California now has nation's lowest virus transmission rate
ABC News
California is seeing lower coronavirus transmission than other U.S. states as virus cases and hospitalizations decline following a summer surge
LOS ANGELES -- California has the lowest coronavirus transmission rate of any state following a sharp decline in cases and hospitalizations after a summer surge.
The nation's most populous state is the only one experiencing “substantial" coronavirus transmission, the second-highest level on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's color-coded map. So is Puerto Rico. In all other U.S. states, virus transmission is labeled as “high," defined as 100 or more cases per 100,000 people in the last week.
California's rate is 94 cases per 100,000. By comparison, Texas is 386 and Florida is 296.
State health experts say relatively high vaccination rates in California ahead of the arrival of the delta variant made a difference, and additional measures, such as masking, also helped stem the surge. Nearly 70% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated, and another 8% have received their first shot, state data shows.
